Question: What exactly Bhagwan wants us to Do in this chapter which is called as Rajvidya?

with warm regards

Dharmendra Sharma

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Hari Om

Really a good question. It is for such quests that this Divine Forum stands for.

" KARTUM"....what does God want you to do? God says it is very easy to do ! What is easy to do? Everything pertaining to RAAJ VIDYAA and RAAJ GUHYA is easy to do !!!! It is easy to do because it is already received. There is no effort needed there, ONLY acceptance of truth is needed. How easy !!!! From point of view of Karma Yoga...what kind of difficulty can arise to us in giving to others...that thing which does NOT belong to us, and which, belongs to others ? How easy? From Jnana Yoga point of view...what difficulty or labour is needed in situating in your own self ? If we can not position in ourselves, what else is easy ? From Bhakti Yoga point of view...what pains are there in turning towards that who is our own? What difficulies a child has to encounter in going into the lap of its mother ? Isn't that very easy? Read 26th verse of same chapter. What great efforts or labour one has to put in giving to Lord...PATRAM PUSHPAM PHALAM TOYAM ?

Karma Yoga and Jnana Yoga are RAAJ VIDYAA. Bhakti Yoga is RAAJ GUHYA. In the 4th and 5th verse of same chapter 9, RAAJ VIDYAA is mainly described while in 34th verse RAAJ GUHYA is described. The results are direct, obvious and clearly demonstrable. Peace comes to you by Karma Yoga. Liberation comes to you by Jnana Yoga and a Bhakta...Bhakta becomes fearless, worryless, griefless and doubtless effortlessly. In a fraction of a moment....the vilest sinner becomes DHARMATMA ( BG 9:30/31). In KSHIPRAM time....!!!! Isn't that easy? Just one resolve...one effortless acceptance....I AM GOD's , ONLY GOD IS MINE, NOTHING ELSE IS MINE.....that is it ! If this is difficult then what is easy ?

Hence The Lord says: It is very easy to follow Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga.

Jai Shree Krishna

Vyas N B

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Moderators have asked for suggestion to improve Gita talk discussions in another post. My suggestion is that moderators should ask further questions on questioner's understanding of the question. I am sure that Dharmendra has read Gita and deliberated on this topic. He already has some understanding of the answer of this question. Internally, he must have tried to answer this question. I will request Gita-talk moderators to ask Dharmendraji to provide his understanding of "what Krishna wants us to do in Chapter 9?" and then, post the question.

There are hundreds of ways to answer this question. Answer to this question depends on the level of advancement of the question.

In general, Krishna does not want us to do anything. One cannot attain moksha (or whatever name you give) by doing anything. The true self is already in state of eternity, knowledge and bliss. At the same time, Krishna wanted Arjun to fight even though self (Krishna, spirituality) is beyond any action. In the same way, Krishna wants us to lead life of love, respect, gratitude, care and service to all living entities as He is present in all living beings. Understanding His presence in all being and leading life based on this understanding is what Krishna wants us to do.

Regards, Murari Das

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Real Raj-Vidya is to chant Hari Nam. In the beginning it can be 10 mins. in the morning and 10 mins. in the evening. These 2 times are known as Sandhi-Kala or Sandhya. They are when day passes into night and night passes into day. At that time, it is easy to calm down the chattering mind a little bit and join it with chanting of Hari-nam. Later on as practice develops, 2 Ekadashi remain on fruit diet, do some Swadhyaya and then spend some more time on chanting Hari Nam. Slowly increase the time and duration and when retiring from active life, one can have ceaseless chanting of Hari Nam. Gandhiji when he was 6 or 7 yrs., old was taught to chant Ram-Nam by his maid servant and later in the turmoil of freedom struggle, he writes that one of the source of his strength was chanting of Ram-Nam whenever there was no visitor. He says that one of the principle strength in his prolonged and risky political career was Ram Nam. Even when he was shot down by the assassin, last words which were uttered by him was He Ram. Same is the case with Ram-Krishna Paramhansa whose strength came from constant chanting. This being very simple, people ignore it as superstition. Hence, Bhagwan has called this Vidya - Guhya - i.e. not so evident. It is also Raj Vidya, because it makes you the master or king of your own consciousness. When that state comes, Kings come and bow before that person. Famous example is of Tukaram Maharaj who by only chanting the name of Vithal acquired such an enormous spiritual strength, that Shivali Maharaj sent Palkhi to honourfully bring him to Royal Court. It is said that Shivali Maharaj did Charan Sparsh of Tukaram Maharaj before he entered the court. Entire ch.9 is the essence of any true religious practice. I have only dealt with ending verse 'man-mana bhav.... But entire chapter is to be studied repeatedly every month. More so in Chaturmasa or on Ekadashi day. Results will be astounding. Only caution is Patience and the capital required in this business is 'Perseverance' Jayantilal Shah

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Respected Sadhakas, i am sharing here what i understood about 9th adhyaya by the grace of Pujya Shri Hanuman Prasad Poddar Ji. Kindly correct me if i am wrong.

in the beginning of the chapter Bhagwan describes the cardinal feature of Rajvidya as "susukham kartum", means it is very easy to be followed.

actually there are two points in the initial two shlokas, one is "yajgyatva" in first shloka, that means after knowing that.

So Rajvidya is about knowing something and to practically follow it and it is very easy and pleasurable to do so.

We should not confuse Rajvidya with Advait sadhan, or Gyan yog (although these are very divine and highly enlighting paths), because in 12 th chapter Bhagwan says' "Avyakta hi gatir dukham dehavadbhih avaapyate" means the sadahana of avyakta Brahman is vey difficult. But here in 9th Chapter Bhagwan says about Rajvidya as "Susukham kartum". therefore Sadhana of avyakta, nirakar can not be mentioned as Rajvidya. (it may be better or equal to Rajvidya, here nothing is against any particular Sadhana maarg, but it is an inquiry into the true meaning of Gita with an open mind and heart)

I would like to share some insights regarding the Knowledge part and the Action part in the next postings.

Answer to 1: to perform (kartum) and not only for knowing (Gyatum) ; Answer to 2: This is the king of all the yogas which leads Sadhak to understand the result "here and now" itself. According to me, one has to learn the technique initially from Guru.

Barin Chatterjee

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Jai Shri Hari,

Respected Sadhakas,

The knowledge part (up to 10 th shloka) is well described in all the tikas except one point.

and that point is that in shloka 5 the meaning of "Pashya me yogmaishvaram" is not explained in right perspective. (from the perspective of common man).

The right explanation from the perspective of common man like me is as follows:

"all this creation is originated from God and he is there in every thing and everthing is in him (as said in the 7th chapter also "mattah partaram na anyat kinchidasti Dhananjay"). But despite being so i am not present in them and they are also not present in me, BECAUSE I HAVE HIDDEN MYSELF FROM THIS MATERIAL CREATION BY THE MIGHT OF MY YOGMAYA". (as Bhagwan also mentioned at some other place in Geeta: NA AHAM PRAKASHAH SARVE YOGMAYA SAMAVRATAH).

This fact was not delineated in other tikas as per my knowledge because all the tikas are mostly written by God-realised saints. and from the vision of saints the God is always manifest in everything, God is never hidden, it is manifest in everything.

But a common man like me, can not see the God in a piece of clay(although it is very much present there). and moreover The characteristic feature of God is that he is full of love, bliss and knowledge, but i see none of these value in a piece of clay in what ever way i examine it. (it is manifest only for the enlightened souls, including Gyani, Yogi and Bhakta).

AND GITA IS NOT SAID FOR YOGIS ONLY, IT IS VERY MUCH FOR A COMMON MAN.

Then what should a common man do realizing God in everything with Gyandrishti is difficult?

beyond the shloka 10 also everything is clearly explained in all the tikas. and i would like to bring only few points about the sequence and flow of the teaching by Bhagwan Shri Krishna, so that it would be easy to grasp the crystal clear message of the Adhyaya.

1. In Shloka 13 and 14 Bhagwan describes the sadhana of premi Bhaktas, and in 15 th shloka he describes that how other people do sadhana by different paths.

THEN AFTER SUDDENLY BHAGWAN STARTS DESCRIBING SOME OF HIS "VIBHUTIS" FROM SHLOKA 16 TO 19.

What do you think is the purpose of Bhagwan in ennumerating his vibhutis here so abruptly?

Explanation: in Shloka 13-14 Bhagwan first describes that after knowing me "Sarvabhutamaheshvar", (as described up to shloka 10) those who are great souls do my ANANYA BHAKTI. (here the word ananya is to be kept in mind). in 15 th shloka he further says that my sadhana is also done by other means by other people, including gyan, yagya, veda, etc. Now in the shlokas 16 - 19, Bhagwan wants to convey to Bhakta (in an indirect way) that you need not be distracted by so many other sadhanas because, only i am there in everything followed in those sadhans, i am veda, i am yagya, i am mantra, i am aahuti, i am tapa and whatever other path you want to follow only me and me is there in every sadhan.

So why to stray here and there come direct to me with Shraddha, and do my ananya bhakti.

and subsequently he says that practicing the other dharmas either may be difficult and some of them may not give you Moksha (shloka 20, 21, 24, 25). and on the other hand to practice my Bhakti is very easy, even if you offer me a fruit, water or even leaf with heartfelt love, i accept that with pleasure, and by doing my Bhakti you will achieve me. (Shlokas: 25, 26)

Conclusion: Ananya Bhakti of Bhagwan is called here as Rajvidya in this adhyaya, and how it is done, and some more insights in next posting.

Humble Pranam

(As understood by the grace of Pujya Shri Hanuman Prasad Ji Poddar)

tvadiya vastu Govind tubhyamev samarpaye Shri Krishnarpanamastu

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Jai Shri Hari,

If we see carefully the preaching style (वर्णन शैली) of Bhagwan in this chapter, it is descriptive (विवरणात्मक) up to the shloka 26, but after that the style becomes instructive (आदेशात्मक).

there are only four instructive shlokas (आदेशात्मक श्लोक) in this chapter (shloka number 27, 31, 33, 34) in which Bhagwan orders to Arjuna, that O Arjuna! do my Bhakti, do my Bhakti and do my Bhakti. no other order is given by Bhagwan in this chapter.

So it is very clear that, the meaning of "सुसुखं कर्तुं " is none other than "अनन्य भक्ति".

Now the question may arise, then why Bhagwan has described his avaykta svarup in the beginning of the chapter?

The answer is that without knowing the true form of Bhagwan, continuous and ananya bhakti is not possible. We should have shraddha that although we can not see Bhagwan in every thing but he is very much there in everything. So with this understanding, doing all the worldly duties as the service of Bhagwan is the meaning of verse 27, which is the first instructive shloka of this chapter. (Bhakti + Gyan + Nishkam karma).

(and as a result of bhakti, Bhagwan gives his Gyan to the Bhakta, as described in 10th chapter shlokas 10-11)

the gist of 9th adhyaya is again highlighted in beginning of 10th adhyaya up to the 11th shloka.